Apple TV Gets One Step Closer to Becoming Your Smart Home Hub
Source: http://gizmodo.com/apple-tv-gets-one-step-closer-to-becoming-your-smart-ho-1643518715
Apple TV has long seemed like a natural fit
Tuesday, October 07, 2014
Nano 'missiles' help kill cancer through the power of green tea
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/07/green-tea-cancer-killing-missiles/
Many will tell you that green tea is good for your health, but researchers at Singapore's A*STAR might just make it a literal life-saver. They've developed nanoscale drug delivery "missiles" that use a key ingredient from green tea, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), to kill cancer tumors more effectively. Compounds based on EGCG both shield the drug carriers from your immune system and provide some therapy of their own; in other words, these hunters are more likely to reach tumors and do a better job of healing your body when they arrive. They're also less prone to accumulating in organs where they aren't wanted, so there are fewer chances of nasty side effects. It's not certain when these tea-based transporters will be available to your doctor, but A*STAR's team is determined to make them a practical reality before long.
[Top image credit: Shutterstock / Africa Studio]
Filed under: Science
Via: Phys.org
The secret to this interactive hologram tech is water vapor
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/07/interactive-holograms-leia-display-system/
It's 2014 and while we don't have flying cars just yet it looks like interactive holographic displays could be a reality rather soon. The not-so-cleverly-named Leia Display System (LDS) uses a combination of light, water-vapor and air to provide a transparent canvas for projected images while sensors track movement and touch inputs from users. The videos we've embedded below show all manner of poking and prodding by users, a bit of Minority Report-style pinching and zooming things in mid-air and even using gestures to rotate and flick stuff out of the way. There's even a sample with a Mercedes sedan driving through the curtain and it "shattering" around the vehicle as it passes through.
As of now, the screens come in 95cm x 65cm (roughly 37 inches by 25 inches) and 3m x 2.5m (around 10 foot by 8 foot) versions, with the latter able to be linked with other displays for an even bigger installation. The tech's Polish creator says that the LDS mostly has been requested for use in digital signage and advertising so far, but that it gets "non-standard" use requests pretty regularly. Here's to hoping that we see it used for more than just shilling products in the near future -- let's save that for Michael Jackson, okay?
Filed under: Displays, Software
Source: Leia Display
Google takes you to the 'Endgame' of its augmented reality world
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/07/google-endgame-augmented-reality-world/
Back in January, Google teamed up with author James Frey to create a project which would combine interactive novels with augmented reality games. That effort was part of Google's interest in expanding the Ingress AR platform beyond its Niantic Labs, as it looked to share those tools with with third-party developers who could create titles of their own. Today, as part of the launch of Endgame: The Calling, the first from a series of three novels, the partnership between Frey and Google has officially kicked off this type of augmented reality/interactive game.
The idea is to build a whole world around these novels, so Niantic Labs is working on designing real-life puzzles, clues and treasure hunts, as well as web videos and other stuff that can complement each piece of writing. With Endgame, for instance, there's a website called Ancient Societies, which ties into the story by giving you more info from the lead characters in the story you're about to read. There's no doubt it's a refreshing take on interactive storytelling, so we'll see if more authors, publishers and developers decide to come up with something similar in the future.
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Software, Google
Via: The Verge
Source: Ancient Societies
Hackers Are Stealing Millions From ATM Worldwide With New Malware
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/hackers-stealing-millions-from-atm-2014-10
A criminal gang is using a piece of malware to allow them to steal millions in cash from ATMs around the world without having to use a credit or debit card.
The hackers are using a piece of malware called Tyupkin, which once installed on an ATM, allows the criminals to steal huge amounts of money by simply entering a series of codes.
The malware has so far been detected infecting ATMs in Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
The attack was detected by Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab, which was asked by an unnamed financial institution to investigate the cyber-attack.
There are no details relating to the criminal gang behind the attacks, but Kaspersky Lab says the gang has stolen "millions of dollars" using the Tyupkin malware.
"Over the last few years, we have observed a major upswing in ATM attacks using skimming devices and malicious software," said Vicente Diaz, principal security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.
"Now we are seeing the natural evolution of this threat with cybercriminals moving up the chain and targeting financial institutions directly. This is done by infecting ATMs themselves or launching directAdvanced Persistent Threat (APT)-style attacks against banks. The Tyupkin malware is an example of the attackers taking advantage of weaknesses in the ATM infrastructure."
Kasperksy alerted Interpol to the attacks and it has informed the affected countries.
"Offenders are constantly identifying new ways to evolve their methodologies to commit crimes, and it is essential that we keep law enforcement in our member countries involved and informed about current trends and modus operandi," said Sanjay Virmani, director of the I! nterpol Digital Crime Centre.
Here's how the Tyupkin attack works:
- First the criminals need to gain physical access to the ATMs, allowing them to insert a bootable CD which installs the malware.
- After the system is rebooted, the ATM is under the control of the gang.
- The malware then runs in the background on an infinite loop awaiting a command.
- The malware will only accept commands at specific times, on Sunday and Monday nights, making it harder to detect.
- To activate the malware, a unique combination key based on random numbers is generated, to avoid the possibility of a member of the public accidentally entering a code.
- The criminal carrying out the theft on the ground then receives a phone call from another member of the gang, who relays a session key based on the number shown on the ATM's screen. This helps prevent members of the gang going at it alone.
- When this session key is entered correctly, the ATM displays details of how much money is available in each cash cassette, inviting the operator to choose which cassette to steal from.
- After this, the ATM dispenses 40 banknotes at a time from the chosen cassette.
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